A dendrimer-based electron antenna: paired electron-transfer reactions in dendrimers with a 4,4'-bipyridine core and naphthalene peripheral groups.

Paired electron transfers (ET) induced by the absorption of two photons by synthetic dendrimers are observed in first-, second-, and third-generation dendrimers comprised of a viologen-like core and an array of naphthalene peripheral groups. Flash photolysis and transient absorption techniques show that the yield of photoinduced double ET depends on laser intensity in the two largest dendrimers, NBV2(+2) and NBV3(+2). Their photochemical behavior thus requires an unusual multiphoton kinetic scheme. These dendrimers constitute the first synthetic models capable of multiple electron redox events deriving from a defined molecular architecture, thus mimicking natural light-collecting antenna systems.